Closure means



Oct. 19, 1965 WEBB 3,212,662

CLOSURE MEANS Filed Feb. 10, 1965 United States Patent 3,212,662 CLOSURE MEANS George J. Webb, Box 96, Station D, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Filed Feb. 10, 1965, Ser. No. 431,654 8 Claims. '(Cl. 215-9) This invention relates to closure means for containers and more particularly to closure means for containers in which a series of predetermined steps must be taken for the removal of the closure means from the container.

The removal of closures from containers is normally achieved by a simple operation which may soon be mastered by a child. Further, it has been found that a very young child may remove the closure from a container while playing with a container in a relatively short time.

It is a common occurrence that children gain access to containers in which dangerous materials such as medicines are stored and, led by their natural curiosity, consume the contents thereof, resulting in their health being placed injeopardy and, on occasion, death.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a closure means for containers in which the removal thereof may not be readily mastered by a child.

A further object of this invention is to provide a closure means for containers which may be readily removed upon following a series of predetermined steps.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a closure means for containers which, although requiring a series of steps for removal, may be readily installed on the container.

These and other objects and features are achieved by the provision of a closure cap incorporating lugs on the interior surface of the wall thereof and a container having a maze-like structure comprised 'of a plurality of channels in tiers about the neck thereof, said lugs having a configuration whereby they may be readily passed over the lip about the mouth of said container, the removal of said cap requiring one of said lugs being passed along each of said channels comprising said maze-like structure in each of a series of predetermined steps.

In the following detailed description, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference refer to like parts throughout the several views and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the closure cap and the neck of a container comprising the invention in an exploded relationship,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the cap illustrated in FIG. 1 taken on the line 22,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the cap taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the cap taken on the line 44 of FIG. 3.

Referring to the drawings, container is provided with a neck 11, the neck 11 including upper portion 12 and a maze-like structure 13 subjacent thereto. A lip 14 is provided on the neck 11 about the mouth of the container 10, the lip 14 including a space 15 and a space 16 therein.

A pair of vertical ribs 17 and 18 define a channel 19, the channel 19 being in vertical alignment with the space 16 and extending transversally of the upperportion 12 and the maze-like structure 13, the channel 19 terminating at annular rib 22 provided about the neck 11.

The maze-like structure 13 comprises a plurality of channels 20 in tiers about the neck 11, each channel 20 terminating adjacent vertical channel 19 on each side thereof, the channels 20 being defined by the parallel ribs 21. The annular rib 22 about the neck 11 and the lower parallel rib 21 refines the lower channel 20, the lower channel 20 merging with the vertical channel 19 at 23.

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A space is provided in each of the parallel ribs 21, the upper rib 21 having space 24 laterally spaced from the channel 19 a distance slightly greater than the distance between the spaces 15 and 16 in the lip 14, to the right of channel 19. The space 25 in the middle rib 21 is located adjacent the channel 19 to the left thereof and the space 26 in the lower rib 21 is in vertical alignment with the space 24.

Raised ribs 21 and annular rib 22 preferably protrude 1outwardly of the neck 11 a greater distance than the A plastic cap 27, comprising a planar top and a downwardly depending cylindrical wall 28, is adapted to be readily accommodated in upper section 12 of the neck 11 to occlude the mouth of the container. The removal of the cap 27, however, is accomplished by following a series of predetermined steps as will be made clear hereinafter.

A pair of lugs 29 and 30 are provided on the interior surface of the wall 28. Each of the lugs 29 and 30 have a planar shoulder 31 substantially semi-circular in configuration, the shoulder 31 being substantially perpendicular to the wall 28, and an inclined surface whereby the shoulder 31 tapers downwardly to an apex.

The lugs 29 and 30 are laterally spaced a distance corresponding to the distance between spaces 15 and 16 in lip 14 and ve.tically spaced whereby, preferably, upon the cap 27 being installed on neck 11, the lower lug 29 rests upon the upper raised rib 21 adjacent the apex thereof upon the shoulder 31 of upper lug 30 being engaged with the lower side of lip 14.

A raised area 34 or similar marking is provided on the exterior surface of the wall 28 in vertical alignment with the space between the lugs 29 and 30.

In application, the cap 27 is installed upon the upper portion 12 of the neck 11, the inclined surfaces of lugs 29 and 30 being forced to pass over the lip 14, the lower lug 29 resting upon the upper raised rib 21 and the shoulder 21 of lug 30 engageing with the lower surface of lip 14.

The application of the cap 27 to the upper portion 12 of. the neck 11 is facilitated by the inherent resiliency of the plastic comprising the cap 27.

Because of the engagement of the planar shoulder 31 of lug 30 with the lower surface of the lip 14, the cap may not be directly removed in the normal manner.

For removal, the cap 27 is rotated in a clockwise direction until the lug 30 abuts the vertical rib 18 whereupon the lug 29 is in vertical alignment with the space 24 and, upon depression of the cap 27, the lug 29 passes into the upper channel 20. Then, upon rotation of the cap 27 in a counter-clockwise direction, the lug 29 will abut the rib 17 and, again depressing the cap 2", passes through space 25 into the middle channel 20. Again rotating cap 27 in a clockwise direction, the lug 29 may be passed through space 26 into the lower channel 20. Rotation of the cap 27 in a clockwise direction passes lug 29 to the position at 23 whereafter the cap may be removed, the lug 29 passing along channel 19 and the lug 30 passing through space 15 in the lip 14.

To insure that the cap 27 is not installed improperly, with either lug 29 or 30 being passed into channel 19, it is preferable to provide a marking on the cap 27. For this purpose the raised area 34 is maintained in vertical alignment with an area of the neck 11 removed from channel 19 upon installation of the cap 27. However, it should be noted that a marking other than the raised area 34 may be utilized, such as a colored marking or the like.

It may be found preferable to provide the neck 11 with a second pair of spaces in lip 14 vertically opposite the spaces 15 and 16 a second vertical channel transversally of the upper portion 12 and the maze-like structure 13,

merging with the lower of the plurality of channels 20, vertically opposite the channel 19, and a space in each of the plurality of raised ribs 21 vertically opposite each of other spaces 24, 25 and 26, and the cap 27 with a second pairof lugs on the interior surface of wall 28 vertically opposite the lugs 29 and 30. In this embodiment of the invention, the two pairs of lugs resiliently co-act against vertically opposite sides of upper portion 12 for greater securement of the cap. The removal of the cap is accomplished by rotating the cap substantially 180 degrees in alternate directions whereby the lower lug of each pair of lugs is passed through the plurality of channels 20 in the corresponding half of the maze-like structure 13 and brought into vertical alignment with the vertical channel relative thereto. It should be noted that vertically opposite markings corresponding to raised area 34 may be provided in the exterior surface of the cap in this embodiment, however, one such marking, to be maintained in vertical alignment with an area of portion 12 remote from either of the two vertical channels, would be adequate.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have herein been described, various changes in design or construction thereof may be resorted to as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A closure means for containers including a container having a neck and cap means, said neck including a lip about the mouth of said container, a pair of spaces in said lip, an upper portion subjacent said lip, a maze-like structure subjacent said upper portion, an annular rib about said neck subjacent said maze-like structure, said maze-like structure including a plurality of parallel raised ribs about said neck defining a plurality of channels, a pair of raised ribs defining a vertical channel in alignment with one of said spaces in said lip, said vertical channel extending transversally of said upper portion and said maze-like structure to merge with the lower of said plurality of channels, a space in each of said parallel raised ribs; said cap means including a downwardly depending cylindrical wall, a pair of lugs on the interior surface of said wall, said lugs being laterally spaced a distance corresponding to the distance between said spaces in said lip, said lugs being vertically spaced a distance substantially equal to the width of said upper portion, each of said lugs including an inclined surface providing a shoulder substantially perpendicular to said wall, the said inclined surface of each of said lugs being forced to pass over said lip whereby said cap is acommodated on said upper portion of said neck, the said shoulder of the upper of said lug being engaged with the lower surface of said lip, the lower of said lugs being adapted to pass successively through each of the said plurality of channels comprising said maze-like structure and into said vertical channel whereby said cap may be removed.

2. A closure means for containers as defined in claim 1 in which each of said raised ribs protrude outwardly from said neck a greater distance than said lip.

3. A closure means for containers as defined in claim 1 in which said maze-like structure includes three channels defined by three raised ribs and said annular rib about said neck, the said space in the upper of said three ribs being laterally spaced from said vertical channel a distance greater than the distance between said spaces in said lip, the said space in the lower of said three ribs being in vertical alignment with the said space in the said upper of said three ribs, the said space in the middle of said three ribs being adjacent said vertical channel on the side of said vertical channel opposite to said vertically aligned spaces whereby removal of said cap is accomplished by rotating said cap in a first direction to pass the said lower lug into the upper of said three channels, rotating said cap in the opposite direction to pass said lower lug into the middle of said three channels, and rotating said cap in said first direction to pass said lower lug into the lower of said three channels.

4. A closure means for containers as defined in claim 1 including marking means on said cap whereby said lugs are located in vertical alignment with an area of said neck removed from said vertical channel upon installation of said cap.

5. A closure means for containers as defined in claim 1 in which one of said lugs abuts one of said pair of vertical ribs prior to the passage of said lower lug into each of the said channels comprising said maze-like structure.

6. A closure means for containers as defined in claim 1 in which said cap is resilient whereby the said inclined surface of each of said lugs may be readily forced over said lip.

7. A closure means for containers as defined in claim 1 including a second pair of spaces vertically opposite said pair of spaces in said lip, a second pair of raised ribs defining a second vertical channel vertically opposite the first mentioned vertical channel, a second space in each of said parallel raised ribs vertically opposite the first mentioned space in each of said parallel raised ribs; said cap means including a second pair of lugs on the interior surface of said wall vertically opposite the first mentioned pair of lugs, whereby the removal of said cap from said neck is accomplished by rotating said cap substantially 180 degrees in alternate directions, the lower lug of each pair of lugs thereby passing through the half of said maze-like structure relative thereto.

8. A closure means for containers as defined in claim 1 in which each of said lugs is resilient wherebythe said inclined surface of each of said lugs may be readily forced over said lip.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,089,887 3/14 Waye n 2l59 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CLOSURE MEANS FOR CONTAINERS INCLUDING A CONTAINER HAVING A NECK AND CAP MEANS, SAID NECK INCLUDING A LIP ABOUT THE MOUTH OF SAID CONTAINER, A PAIR OF SPACES IN SAID LIP, AN UPPER PORTION SUBJACENT SAID LIP, A MAZE-LIKE STRUCTURE SUBJACENT SAID UPPER PORTION, AN ANNULAR RIB ABOUT SAID NECK SUBJACENT SAID MAXE-LIKE STRUCTURE, SAID MAZE-LIKE STRUCTURE INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF MATERIAL RAISED RIBS ABOUT SAID NECK DEFINING A PLURALITY OF CHANNELS, A PAIR FO RAISED RIBS DEFINING A VERTICAL CHANNEL IN ALIGNMENT WITH ONE OF SAID SPACES IN SAID LIP, SAID VERTICAL CHANNEL EXTENDING TRANSVERSELLY OF SAID UPPER PORTION AND SAID MAZE-LIKE STRUCTURE TO MERGE WITH THE LOWER OF SAID PLURALITY OF CHANNELS, A SAPCE IN EACH OF SAID PARALLEL RAISED RIBS; SAID CAP MEANS INCLUDING A DOWNARDLY DEPENDING CYLINDRICAL WALL, A PAIR OF LUGS ON THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID WALL, SAID LUGS BEING LATERALLY SPACED A DISRANCE CORRESPONDING TO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID SPACES IN SAID LIP, SAID LUS BEING VERTICALLY SPACED A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF SAID UPPER PORTION, EACH OF SAID LUGS INCLUDING AN INCLINED SURFACE PROVIDING A SHOULDER SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID WALL, THE SAID INCLINED SURFACE OF EACH OF SAID LUGS BEING FORCED TO PASS OVER SAID LIP WHEREBY SAID CAP IS ACCOMMODATED ON SAID UPPER PORTION OF SAID NECK, THE SAID HOULDER OF THE UPPER OF SAID LUG BEING ENGAGED WITH THE LOWER SURFACE OF SAID LIP, THE LOWER OF SAID LUGS BEING ADAPTED TO PASS SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH EACH OF THE SAID PLURALTIY OF CHANNELS COMPRISING SAID MAZE-LIKE STRUCTURE AND INTO SAID VERTICAL CHANNEL WHEREBY SAID CAP MAY BE REMOVED. 